F1 fans expect driver market ‘insanity’ as they predict who Max Verstappen will be driving for in 2027

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The future of Max Verstappen is set to be one of the biggest talking points of next season.

Red Bull managed to convince Max Verstappen to stay with the team for another season after a tough start to 2025.

Verstappen was heavily linked to Mercedes, who still haven’t confirmed either of their drivers for next season.

However, if the Dutchman did decide to move on, a host of other teams would quickly make their interest known, considering he’s the most talented driver on the grid right now.

Aston Martin held an interest in Verstappen, and in the past, McLaren boss Zak Brown has spoken to Verstappen’s camp about a potential move.

Next year sees Formula 1 introduce a host of new regulations, and it’s not yet known which team has nailed the upcoming ruleset, and who might be left behind.

Verstappen has some concerns about Red Bull’s new power unit going into next year, and there’s a chance that he’ll need to leave the team to continue competing at the highest level.

Plenty of fans have now had their say on where they believe the 28-year-old could end up, with the driver market set to throw up a few surprises over the next 12 months.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

F1 fans predict where Max Verstappen will be driving for the 2027 season

A post from Reddit talking about Charles Leclerc being linked with a move away from Ferrari created plenty of discussion about how the grid could look in 18 months.

One fan explained: “The three drivers that fans think are the best (Verstappen, Leclerc and Russell) are all uncertainties.

“Verstappen is probably wanted by every team that isn’t papaya and has an uncertain year ahead at Red Bull. This week, reports came out that Leclerc’s management is exploring options for 2027 while Toto seems to be unwilling to give Russell a contract beyond 2026.”

Another replied: “Lewis and Fernando retire. Max to Merc alongside Kimi. Bearman to Ferrari to fill Lewis’ seat.

“George to Aston (because this would be too perfect.) Carlos to Ferrari to fill Charles’ seat. Charles to McLaren to fill Oscar’s seat. Oscar to Red Bull.”

“Charles to McLaren and Oscar to Red Bull would be insanity,” suggested one fan, while another said: “I agree that out of all the teams, it would take the most for McLaren to shift their existing lineup around for him, but I’d bet there’s a price they’d be willing to pay.”

One theory that emerged suggested: “Yeah, I’d absolutely bet it’d take a mountain to do it [sign Verstappen to McLaren]. And honestly, if they can get both drivers to buy into their papaya rules and come away with both of them still motivated to drive for the team, and one of them a WDC, I wouldn’t change a thing, either.

“But, if in some hypothetical situation, Max came a-knockin’ and said, ‘Zak, what’ll it take, I want in that car.’ I could see them making some changes. That said, there’s no real world where I think Max would do that.”

Another fan suggested Alonso and Hamilton might retire, leading to them suggesting: “I think that Alonso and Lewis are both going to go after next year, and to be honest, if 2026 regs aren’t fun for him then I think Max very well may follow them with his diversifying racing interests.”

“My most likely take: nothing really happens,” said another comment. “All top drivers stay where they are now. The thing I actually want to happen: Max and George at Merc for 2027.”

One final suggestion emerged, which stated: “I could absolutely see Max jumping ship if the Red Bull turns out to be a dog.

“Same thing with Russell. Additionally, Aston Martin, if Adrian Newey aces the regulations again, could be an interesting seat.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Max Verstappen made the right decision to stay at Red Bull for 2026

There was plenty of clamour for Verstappen to leave Red Bull ahead of next season, given the disruption within the team and their lack of pace compared to McLaren.

However, under Laurent Mekies, Red Bull have taken a significant step forward, and there are no guarantees that whoever Verstappen would have chosen for next year would be the dominant force during the next era of Formula 1.

Verstappen can afford to bide his time and wait to see if Red Bull can resolve any concerns about their engine and continue to compete at the front of the grid.

His ‘dream’ has always been to see out his career with Red Bull, and giving them every chance to fulfil their potential was the right decision.